Reviews

Cilka's Journey, by Heather Morris

shahrun's review against another edition

3.0

On one hand I was carried along fairly easily by the narrative and appreciate the historical direction the journey is pointing me in (I’ve heard vague whispers before of concentration camp survivors then being imprisoned by the Russians before - definitely an area for further reading). But at the same time I feel a bit cheated. This is fiction trying to masquerade as facts... kind of. The author maintains it is research led and fact inspired but things get murkier when you get googling. I think perhaps if you want to write fiction inspired by history, maybe don’t use a real person to base your story on, especially when they have no say in the matter. And that’s what makes me uncomfortable here. I also don’t doubt that this type of war story is sadly quite common. I guess shame and humiliation keeps survivor stories like this suppressed.

j_heath18's review

5.0

Finished this book in one day because I had a hard time putting it down. I’m a fan of WWII books but this was a different take (based on a true story) which I enjoyed!

dylansmphillips's review

3.0

Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris brought me mixed feelings. I was absolutely enthralled by the first book, [b:The Tattooist of Auschwitz|38359036|The Tattooist of Auschwitz (The Tattooist of Auschwitz, #1)|Heather Morris|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525962117l/38359036._SY75_.jpg|56940861], and the heartbreaking journey it led us on through the lives of the prisoners of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. This sequel follows one of the minor characters, Cilka, who had one of the more intriguing stories in the latter book as she continues her journey after being freed from the camps. What transpires is a slow, blandly paced narrative that takes liberties with this woman's true story to fit her role within the previous novel. It isn't a great sign when the protagonist's family condemns the story for a poor portrayal of them. In fact, the only parts that felt engaging enough to continue forward were the brief flashbacks to the timeline of the original book.

TL;DR: There was potential here, but it fell into tropes and uneven storytelling.

romiee25's review

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

whatlauraareads's review

5.0

Really enjoyed this book, cried throughout and found her story so so moving.
The one issue I have is that, although based on true story, it’s a work of fiction. It feels different to the first book as she had Lales consent to write his story and knew all the facts.
Although I would highly recommend, I would say to read books such as The Choice by Edith Edger too. Showing the views and life of a survivor told by the survivor as well.

stuckinabooksworld's review

dark emotional inspiring reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

jessicasbookjourney's review

5.0

An amazing book and sequel to a heartbreaking story. While reading The Tatooist of Auschwitz I wanted to learn more about Cilka and I was so excited to hear this sequel was coming out.
Heather Morris did not disappoint.
Cilka's story told more about what horrendous things happened to some prisoners upon release from the concentration camps!
Cilka is released from Auschwitz and is very quickly incarcerated for her "Crimes" which were just the things she did in order to survive. She is sent to the coldest place on earth, a gulag in Siberia. Again, she must do everything possible to survive. She makes friends and helps them survive but fears they will find out what she did in order to get sent to the gulag.
Does she survive? Will her friends find out what she did?

juliescalzo's review

5.0

I loved this! It’s a companion to the Tattooist of Auschwitz, and it does have a similar, matter of fact tone, but I found this to be a tale of survival. It talks about the character Cilka, who is a minor character in Tattooist. Instead of focusing on her life inside Auschwitz, it focuses mainly on her life in the Gulag, a prison camp in Siberia. She is sentenced to 15 years there after being seen as an accomplice to the Nazis, even though she was a Jewish prisoner herself. Cilka is truly a survivor, and I rooted for her throughout. I found this to be interesting and fast paced, and I was immediately drawn in. This is not based off of interviews with Cilka, like Tattooist was based off of interviews with Lale, but the author did read writings that mention Cilka and do a lot of research into her life and into the Gulags. Overall, I think this is a different take on WWII fiction; one that draws you in and doesn’t destroy you emotionally.

delladegroff's review

5.0

All three of these books always leave me in tears hearing the violent and horrific history. Cilka’s story doesn’t end after Auschwitz. It’s so much more.

charlottep0402's review

5.0

I really enjoyed this book, moving and insightful. I cried several times but I feel it's important to know what happened during this time period.